A Million Pieces, A Tale of Shate
by ChuckReader
Summary: The decline and fall of Shaw for jaytoyz Shnuff challenge


_A/N Didn't expect to do another one of these but Shate cannot be denied. Thanks for the comments on my first story._

_Jaytoyz - challenge accepted, again._

quistie64 - our brief exchange put this image in my head so I ran with it. There's a tip of the hat to you within the story... you'll find it.

Don't own Chuck, cuz everyone else says it.

A Million Pieces, A Tale of Shate

Shaking off his thoughts about the events that brought him to this exact place at this exact time Special Agent Daniel Shaw found himself with an unexpected moment for some long delayed introspection.

Shaw thought how normally, when such an occasion would arise, he'd find satisfaction in staring at a wall with a blank expression on his face. Other times it would be a mirror but his expression remained the same. Even when he waxed and buffed his chest into a high-gloss shine his face did not change. Many people who'd met him describe him as stoic, cold, unfeeling, emotionless, wooden, but those people never got to meet the 'Real Daniel.'

'Real Daniel' was a young man who had lost his wife when she was assassinated by the Ring. He was a partner in a romance for the ages. He and Eve had met as newly credentialed agents and it was love at first sight. They had so much in common whether it was appreciation of fine wines and cuisine, eco-friendly transportation, an occasional Renaissance Faire, or the Kama Sutra. Okay, Shaw admitted to himself, the Kama Sutra idea hadn't exactly worked out the way he'd expected. It mostly left them with sprains, strains and bruises and the right things never wound up in the right places. Shaw chuckled as he remembered where they found his big toe after a thorough and grueling search that was reminiscent of what a fresh convict would endure when entering the penitentiary.

He was getting distracted so he focused on the cars travelling along the interstate in the waning daylight as late afternoon progressed toward the early evening. The strong breeze whipped through his dark, nearly black, hair. This was usually one of his favorite parts of the day. The sun setting and darkness descending on the landscape was a great metaphor for his life as a spy. Losing Eve had been his sunset. She was his light, his life. Now he spent his life seeking blackened vengeance. Years were spent in the shadows as he followed leads to one dead end after another. Working as a solo operative hadn't been fruitful.

Shaw thought his best chance to find justice and avenge his lost Eve would be his placement on the Intersect team. Of course the Intersect, Chuck Bartowski, was not quite what he expected when assigned to Burbank. General Beckman warned him to expect the unexpected with this team so he couldn't complain as long as he had access to the intelligence provided by the Intersect. Chuck himself was a bit more bipolar than Shaw anticipated. At one moment he'd be whiny and mopey and at other times he'd be manic, nearly bouncing off the walls as though his childhood James Bond dreams were now beginning to come true. Nevertheless, Chuck got the job done, no matter how unorthodox his methods.

Another development that offered Shaw a glimmer of hope for his future was his budding romance with Agent Walker. Sure she was depressed and sad all the time but she was beautiful and very receptive to his considerable charms. Shaw thought that maybe once they found and killed his wife's murderer that he and Sam could have an interesting future together. He was pleased by her willingness to share personal things with him, like her name or her dessert. In fact, their relationship was progressing much faster than he would have expected. Normally spies keep things rather superficial in their affairs due to the life and death nature of their world but Sam looked ready for commitment even though Shaw would wait until the end of his personal quest before opening himself to her. She told him her real name and was soon going to be moving in with him in Washington. They'd only been seeing each other for a few weeks but who was he to complain especially when there were suckers out there who would spend years devoting themselves to a woman just to wind up alone or with some second rate clingy stalker type as a consolation.

It definitely was windy tonight. Not only was his hair getting ruffled but the wind was whipping against his shirt and trousers. He paused a moment listening to the sounds of the traffic again and watching the cars go by. He couldn't be sure but it sounded louder than it had a minute ago. What had been, at first, near silence but for the breeze rushing past his ears had begun to sound like a low hum. He pushed the sound away and returned his thoughts to Eve. Shaw knew he was getting closer to finding her killer. He couldn't rationalize it but it felt as though he could almost reach out and touch the assassin.

It wouldn't be long now. He let the wind envelop him for a moment as the hum of traffic rapidly increased to near deafening levels.

It wouldn't be long at all.

The last thought to go through his mind, before he slammed into the asphalt of Interstate 5's northbound lanes at approximately 118 miles per hour, was the same thought that triggered his introspection.

'Why did Casey throw me out of the plane without a parachute?"

Begin Call.

Casey called Sarah from the plane to break the news.

"Walker, this is Casey. I'm sorry I have to tell you this but your boyfriend is dead."

"Chuck is dead?" Sarah could be heard through the phone as her breath hitched and the first sobs made their way out of her mouth.

"Hmph… idiot." Casey rolled his eyes. "No SAM, I mean Shaw! You know, the guy you've been prancing around with at Castle because the nerd isn't good enough for you? Robot Bryce? Ring any bells?"

"So Chuck is okay?" Sarah's sobbing had suspiciously waned when it was Shaw's demise rather than Chuck's she was learning about.

"Of course Chuck is okay. I do my job. In fact, my tracker says he's in Castle with you right now."

"Oh you're right Casey. He's sitting right next to me in the conference room. I've been so busy avoiding any meaningful contact with him that I forgot he was here. But thank God it was Shaw and not Chuck. I don't know if it was just me but the whole thing with Shaw and me as an item was starting to feel forced and awkward. Don't you agree?"

"Hmph… idiot."

End Call.


End file.
